Automatic gas meter



Jan. 9, 1923.

M. 0. S. MADSEN.

AUTOMATIC GAS'METER.

FILED NOV. 4, 1922.

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' MATHIAS ODIN SEVERIN ADsEn, orv nanrms, DENMARK...

I AUTOMATIC ens METER. I

, Application filed November 4, 1922; Serial No. 59:),132.

To'aZZ whom'z't may 05mm.-

-Be'it known that I, MATHiAs ODIN Slit-- 1mm MADSEN, subject'of the Kingof Denmark, residing at Aarhus, Denmark,have

invented certain new and useful Improveinents inAutomatic Gas Meters(for which I have filed application in Denmark Aug. 26,

1921; in Germany,'Sept. 14, 1921; inNorway, June-15,..1922yin i dweden,June 14;,

1922; and: inGreat Britain, Sept. '22, 1922), of which the-tollowingis aspecification;

'The present invention relates to an automatic gasmeter' ofthe kind withwhich the insertion of a coin of a 'given "value will have the'effectthat a member belonging to the automatic device and serving to close theI '5 gaspipe, maybe-moved by a hand a certain distance away from itsclosing position'so that the said member, WlllClLlS automaticallyreturned to'its clos ng positlon when the automatic meter is inoperation, will,

I during such operation have/ to travel a certain distance, before itshuts off the gas.

The invention, inrparticular, relates to a coupling device, by means ofwhich the inserted com will, produce and agam [disengage a couplingbetween a disc rotatable by hand and the said closing member. Thecoupling I device is remakable by being in itself of a mentioned verysimple construction, by-its affording a guarantee: that only coins ofth'e proper; size .(value) can be used and by its allowing of theautomatic meter easily being set to dispense a larger or smaller volumeof gas for the money value of'o'ne such coin.

= Inxthe accompanyingdrawing is shown of the coupling device Fig; l is aside ,levaticon 'of the device, the casing beingshown in section. t kFig. 2"shows the device as seen from its outer end (they end of theautomatic meter" where the coin'inserting' slot. is situated Fig.3ahorizontal sectionof the d1sc-1 taken onfa line cutting through thecoin *Fiig. 4-an inwardiview' ojf the device seen in the directionlooking towardsthe outer v J anlsm of-ythe gas meter and is preventedend mentioned.

Fig. 6 the same seenfrom below, when in fthe position, at which thecoininserted falls out.

11is a circular disc, which',;'along.-its cir cumference is providedwith holes 2,*Fig. 2,

and which, by means of three screws not 1 shown, passingthrough three ofsaid holesQ,

may be secured'to the outermost end ofa the inner end or which, "whichend projects a little beyond disc 1, is fitted a second disc 6 of adiameter smaller than that of the first mentioned disc. -The disc 6 iscircularonly having at one part a projecting neck 7, Fig. 1,;whil'st'a'torsionalspring 8 fitted to the pin 1 at one end and with its otherendto the disc 1, tendsto hold the disc 6 in such a position that the oneedge of the neck '2' bearsagainst a stop pin '28, Figs. 4 and5,

fitted indisc 1. y

In disc-1 provided a slot 9 for the insertion of a coin,Figs. 1 3116113,the one side alongthe greater part ofits circumference,

wall: of this slot being made of an oblique I surface'lO. I

To the inner side of. disc 6 is soldered a coin pocket '11 whichconsists of a member bent to a T1 section havinggits open side turnedinwards towards a corresponding 'opening 'in disc 6, which opening isopposite to the coin inserting slot.9 in, disc 1, when thefirst'mentioned disc is in its normal position. The coin pocket 11 isopen'both-at top and bottom, besides being, on the'side turned away fromthe disc 6, open along about the half-of its lengtlnwhich half islowermost when'the disc 6 is in its normal position. Atthe top thepocketis closed by the; bent ever end of a flap. 13,which is underaction of a spring 12 and is revolubly fitted on a pin 14 secured todisc'6, whilst its abovementioned end "forms a kind of beak 15,extending a little beyond the pocket.

11.- Below and on the open' half mentioned the pocket is closedby a pawl17 which is under action of a spring 16 and is pivoted between thesidewalls of the pocket 11, and which rocks a small distance inwardly fromthe pocket, .so as to engage with a gear-wheel 18. -The latter is fittedto theouter end of I a shaft 19 belonging to the automatic mechfromperformingan untimely rotation'by a said spring, with 'suflicientpressure to, prevent unnecessary o'rfree movement of the wheel 18andshaft 19.;

In the bottom of the casing is an opening through which the coins fromthe pocket 11 may fall out into a collecting chamber, and at the side ofwhich is provided a stop 21, against which first the beak'15, and subse=quently the pocket 11 abuts, when, after the insertion of a coin, thedisc 6 is turned by hands by means of the handle The device opera es asfollows:

After insertion of a coin of the-kind for which the automatic meter isintended, into the slot 9, this coin passes through the correspondingopening in disc 6 which opening is in front said slot and enters partlyinto the coin pocket 11 up to the pawlli, i. hilst the disc 6 is in itsnormal position shown in Fig. 4.. spring 1.6 held in the full lines,gear wheel 18. As soon as now, by operation of the handle 5 the pin 4andwith it disc .6, is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. i,this disc will carry with it the coin which slides along the obliqueposition indicated by surface 10 until its edge has reached the innersurface of disc '1, which it will thereupon follow. Thus the coin isforced in 'wardly by a distance practically corresponding to thethickness of disc 1, and is thereby caused to press in such a manneragainst pawl 17 that the latter is, against. the action of spring 16,turned into the position indicated-in- Fig. 1 by the dot and dash lines,in which it is in engagement with the gear wheel 18. The consequenceisthat the latter and with it shaft 19 must participate in the rotationand by such rotation of shaft 19 the above mentioned, not shown closingmember will, in known manner he removed away from its closing position.Y

Shortly before the moment, when the disc 6 has been turned so farthatthe pocket 11 is immediately above the opening for. the

discharge of the coin provided in the bottom of the casing '3, the beakwill abutagainst the stop 21, Fig. 6. At the further rotation of thedisc the flap will be turned in such a manner relatively to the pocketit'-- self, that the latter is opened below, whereupon the stop 21 byabutting against the oneside wall of the coin pocket will stop the disc(3 with the coin pocket, now open below, immediately above the openingin cas- 111g 3, so that the coin will fall through the same. The spring.16 will thereupon immediately swing the pawl 17 out of engagement withthe gear wheel 18 and back into its normal position, and if the handle.5 is now released the spring 8 will cause the disc 6 to be automaticallyreturned into its normal position determined the stop pin 28. The deviceis then ready to receivea Ifurther coin: i

A too small coin cannot bringthe pawl The pawl 17 under action of viz.,-out of engagement with the;

into engagement with the gear-wheel 18, and a too large coin cannotenter su liiciently far so to leave the slot 9 in the stationary disc 1,and will thus prevent a rotation of the disc n The distance by which theclosing member can be removed from its closing position the nsert on of,each com is determined by the angle (reckoned in the operative sense ofrotation of disc 5) between the stop pin 28 and the stop .21. This anglecan be varied at will by simply removing the three screws holding thedisc 1 and turning this disc 1 thus that the said screws hand a givendistance from its closing position, a stationary .disc havin a slot forthe introduct on of the com, a rotatable disc hav ng'an opening. for thepassage of the coin,a spring holding the'rotatable disc in its normalposition with the said opening in line with said slot, a coin pocketcarried on the rotatable disc to receive the coin from the said slot andopening, an inclined surface at one side of the Sl t for forcing thecoin into the pocket as the latter is rotated with the rotatable disc; agear wheel for operating the gas closing device, and a pawl mounted uponthe rotatable disc and adapt,- ed to be moved. intoengagement with thegear wheel by a coin of the required diameter, and to rotate the saidgear wheel with the rotatable disc. v

2. In a gas'supply meter having control mechanism accordingito claim 1,an enclosing casing for the mechanism, operating means comprising a pinsecured to the rotatable disc and extending through the stationary disc,and'a handle .on the outer end of said pin, stopmeans for the rotatabledisc comprising a stop pinon the station. ary disc, a'pro ecting part onthe rotatable.

disc for .engiagingsaid, stop pin when the mechanism is inv ts normalposition, and a fixed stop piece, mounted, in, the .casing'to engage thecoin pocket, and means for cl0s-- YVitnesses a MUNN,

\PJSORENSEN."

carrie ne isvenm Marissa]

